Problem:

Despite the medical advances and economic prosperity in the US, the health needs of many women, children, youth, and families remain unmet. More than half of the goals in Healthy People 2010 concern MCH populations. Many MCH indicators reflect persistent social disparities.

Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1: Assure a workforce that possesses the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to meet unique MCH population needs.
Objective 1: Enroll 28 MPH students each year.
Objective 2: Conduct annual content analysis of MCH Curriculum to demonstrate inclusion of core competencies and national priorities (HP 2020).
Goal 2: Prepare and support a diverse MCH workforce that is culturally competent and family centered.
Objective 1: Conduct one family-centered/led continuing education event each year.
Objective 2: Thirty percent (30%) of MCH trainees will be from ethnically/racially diverse and/or lower socioeconomic backgrounds each year.
Goal 3: Improve practice through interdisciplinary training in maternal and child health.
Objective 1: Increase by 5% annually the number of trainees that report having had an interdisciplinary training experience prior to graduation.
Objective 2: By 2012, increase by one the institutional opportunities for interdisciplinary training and practice.
Goal 4: Develop effective MCH Leaders.
Objective 1: 85% of trainees will have a MCH leadership position within 5 years of graduation.
Objective 2: 100% of trainees will be matched with a professional mentor in MCH public health prior to the completion of their training.
Goal 5: Generate, translate, and integrate new knowledge to enhance MCH training, inform policy, and improve health outcomes.
Objective 1: Maintain MCH website (www.epi.umn.edu/mch)
Objective 2: Offer one regional CE event (Summer Institute on Health Disparities) each year.

Methodology:

The UM-MCH Center will provide high-quality graduate education with core MCH public health competencies; serve as a regional resource for continuing education, technical assistance, and consultation in the Upper Midwest; be a national resource for state-of-the-art MCH research; provide continuing education (annual institute, other workshops, trainings and short courses) in collaboration with Title V and other partners; disseminate new MCH knowledge through its events, publication (Healthy Generations), website (www.epi.umn.edu/mch), bi-weekly Children, Youth and Family Health e-newsletter, and; and support ongoing leadership development through formal leadership seminars and a mentoring program.

Coordination:

The UM-MCH Center will collaborate with: (1) academic programs at the University of Minnesota, including a consortium of 6 other HRSA-funded training centers; (2) Title V directors, especially those in MN, WI, IA, SD, and ND; and (2) community agencies that serve MCH populations.

Evaluation:

The Center, its Division and its School, have standardized monitoring/evaluation tools and electronic databases. The Director will have primary responsibility for assuring all evaluation goals are met.

Experience to Date:

The Center has maintained its website (www.epi.umn.edu/mch) (218 hits/day, over 340,000 files downloaded during the current reporting period), produced one volume of Healthy Generations on HIV, and performed continuing education and technical assistance. The Center also supports the goals of an academic MCH MPH program with 100 active students in standard and online MCH MPH programs.